Ford's off-roading Raptor lends its styling to a miniaturized follow-up.

A pre-production image shows the Caddyshack Ford Raptor golf cart, which will be available soon. COURTESY OF CADDYSHACK

Caddyshack Ford Raptor golf cart vs. Ford F-150 SVT Raptor pickup

 Base price: $18,995 vs. $44,995

 Top speed: 19.9 mph vs. 98 mph

 Horsepower: 18.3 vs. 411

 Curb weight: 980 pound vs. 6,004 pounds

The Ford Raptor sport truck has been described as the ultimate vehicle for “rednecks with paychecks” – “the off-roader Ferrari would build if it built 4x4 pickups.” Search YouTube, and it yields thousands of videos showing the Raptor climbing boulders, catching air and generally making a mockery of trucks that aren’t as phenomenally endowed.

Now, the Raptor is being miniaturized. In a licensing deal with Ford Motor Co., the Palm Desert golf cart company Caddyshack is offering a so-called community vehicle that shares the truck’s style, if not its performance.

Under development with a late-summer sale date, the Caddyshack Ford Raptor comes with an 18-horsepower gasoline engine that can travel 80 miles on a tank, or as a plug-in electric that can voyage up to 30 miles per charge.

The golf cart has a governed top speed of 19.9 mph for both models, versus nearly 100mph for the F-150 SVT.

“It’s a great brand extension for Ford,” said Betsy McKelvey, marketing manager for Ford Brand Licensing in Dearborn, Mich. “This ties perfectly with us as an auto company. Obviously a golf cart is not replacement transportation for a car, but it’s great because people recognize the Raptor, and it brings us new impressions and allows consumers to connect with our brand in new and different ways.”

Ford had previously licensed its name to Caddyshack for a Shelby GT500 golf cart that is already available. The Caddyshack Ford Raptor is, like the GT500, manufactured in the U.S. It will retail for $18,995 through various Ford dealerships.

In Southern California, it will be available at Palm Springs Motors in Cathedral City and Fiesta Ford in Indio, as well as through the Ford-run website shopfordmerchandise.com.

The Caddyshack Ford Raptors are legally classified as golf carts, but “you will not be able to play golf in this particular unit because of the tire size,” said Caddyshack owner Tim Martin.

A true Raptor golf cart will be available by the end of summer, he said.

The Caddyshack Raptors are designed to be driven as low-speed vehicles in cities that permit them on streets posted with speed limits of 35 mph or less. The gasoline-powered Caddyshack Raptor uses a Kawasaki engine that makes 18.3 horsepower. Both Raptor golf cart models will be offered in the same colors as Ford offers on its full-size Raptor: tuxedo black, white, metallic blue and ruby red.

Martin anticipates the Raptor golf cart buyership to be a mix of full-size Raptor owners who “want a mini me,” he said, as well as Ford dealers who will use it as a customer shuttle and individuals who have large properties.

“We’ve had a lot of people pull up to our store in Raptors who want to see it,” he said.

A pre-production image shows the Caddyshack Ford Raptor golf cart, which will be available soon. COURTESY OF CADDYSHACK
The 2014 F-150 SVT Raptor Special Edition adds touches to the high-performance off-road pickup - including a new exterior color, ruby red, which will also be available for its golf-cart lookalike by Caddyshack. COURTESY OF FORD
While Raptor fans won't find the muscle of the full-sized truck in a golf cart, they seem to be interested in the smaller vehicle's styling, said Caddyshack owner Tim Martin. COURTESY OF FORD
This pre-production image shows off the Ford Raptor golf cart. COURTESY OF CADDYSHACK
Pre-production concept image of a Ford Raptor golf cart. COURTESY OF CADDYSHACK

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